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Saturday, February 1, 2025

Ok LINE Strengthens Wind-Powered Options with AIRSEAS Acquisition


The Japanese delivery agency Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (abbreviated because the “Ok” LINE), after selling for a number of years the kite system idea to supply a untie factor of wind propulsion to large bulkers, has reported that it has purchased the corporate Airseas of France. This enterprise is spearheading the tech growth.

The Japanese agency has been in contact with Airseas, working collectively from 2019 onward, and has additionally ordered demonstration items to put in a kite system on about 51 vessels. “Ok” Line established Oceanicwing as a subsidiary and, on February fifteenth, finalized the transaction in France. The corporate claims that the acquisition, for which the price of shopping for it was undisclosed, was made to additional the creation and advertising of the automated kite system generally known as “Seawing.”

Wind Propulsion
Picture Credit: Airseas/Twitter

As beforehand reported by the corporations, Seawing is anticipated to decrease CO2 emissions from ships by about 20%, and the discount might be additional elevated by switching to LNG or one other various gasoline. They declare that the Seawing might be modified to any vessel and that it doesn’t want the ship’s energy to perform in distinction to rotor sails.

Airseas was labored on in France, and after finishing the demonstration testing efficiently in 2017, it secured monetary assist from Airbus. The agency labored on creating the tech, an automatic system that launches the unit’s parafoil wing that’s tethered to the vessel’s bow. Throughout flight, the tech screens the efficiency, and the wing is auto-steered to enhance system energy and allow security. They’ve anticipated nearly 100 tons of traction could also be generated.

Following onshore testing, the system has been put in on a 5,200 dwt cargo RoRo, Ville de Bordeaux, run by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs and reportedly chartered by the agency Airbus. The ship reportedly sails transatlantic between the U.S. Gulf Coast and France, transporting Airbus’s elements. Testing began in 2022 (towards the tip) with the professional staff having the 250 m2 model of the wing in addition to a 500 m2 model, whereas the industrial notion requires a 1000 m2 parafoil to fly at an altitude of 1,000 toes, capturing fixed increased altitude winds to help vessel propulsion.

The preliminary checks validated the methods: ascent, descent, launch, take-off, and touchdown. They additional reported that Seawing was flying 650+ toes above sea degree. On additional testing, they mentioned in Might final yr that that they had generated a ton of traction efficiently, and by October final yr, that they had efficiently carried out validation testing.

“Ok” Line had declared that it anticipated to start out testing Seawing on one of many massive vessels in 2022, adopted by methods to place the primary methods on a vessel by this yr. In addition they anticipated the system to enter industrial manufacturing by this yr. JFE Metal had declared its plans to construct and function two vessels of 210,000 dwt due for supply in 2024 and 2025 outfitted with the Seawing. The primary-ever LNG-fueled bulk provider developed by Nihon Shipyard Co. to be operated by the “Ok” line was additionally prone to incorporate the identical expertise.

Airbus and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, nevertheless, which took half within the validation trials of the Seawing, not too long ago declared that they have been constructing three huge cargo RoRos and selected as an alternative of incorporating the Norsepower rotors to offer wind-aided propulsion.

Reference: Kline

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